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ArchivesWhat do the surname Ketelbey means?
This is the surname of classical composer A. W. Ketelbey. I think it is associated to Old Norse ketill meaning "(sacrificial) cauldron, helmet", but i don;'t know properly.
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It seems the spelling of the surname changed a number of times in previous generations (Albert added the accent himself), and yes the Danish-Norse Ketill is the root of the first element. The surname is from one of a few localities in the UK called Kettleby or Kettelby. -by is Danish by "farmstead", essentially a variant of bur "dwelling", English bower, Low German -buren (in place names in the Netherlands and Germany).
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